I sat on the roof of the hotel, notebook in hand. I was here purely because Alyssa was dying to see this boy band in concert, and their July 16, New York City concert was closest to our random-upstate-NY-small-town home.
I needed some space to myself because I couldn't stand Alyssa’s screaming. She was going on nonstop. “I GET TO SEE 4DAYS IN CONCERT! I GET TO MEET THEM! I GET TO MEET ZAC NIELY!” In all caps, like that. I'm not exaggerating.
4Days was the boy band Alyssa was obsessed with. Granted, when I was her age, I fell into the boy band pit too, faking a love for One Direction, purely because I wanted to be cool and “in.” But I got over that fast, so I sold my 1D tickets and used the money to go to a Fall Out Boy concert instead, which was way better.
But unlike me, Alyssa didn't get over this stuff. She had been in love with 4Days since she was in fourth grade (she’s in sixth now). Her favorite has shifted a bit, originally being Cam Denton, but then he got a haircut, and Alyssa “realized the true potential of Zac Niely.” And I quote. It was so ridiculous I had to write it down in my “Random Quotes” section.
Anyway, that's the stage set. I was on the roof because it was the only floor in the building not populated by fangirls. Apparently, without us knowing, Alyssa had asked our mom to book us a room at the hotel where the boys were staying.
The roof was quite peaceful, actually. I had my notebook in hand, writing up another chapter to Reverse. The wind was blowing, but in a pleasant way, tussling my dark brown hair, the blue streaks at the ends flying wild. The wind tried to flip my pages, but I had my hand securely on the spine of my notebook. The other side was folded around the spiral, pushing my scrawly purple handwriting into my knee. I always wrote with whatever pen I had nearest to me, so I had stole Alyssa’s purple pen to write that chapter because I couldn’t find my favorite pen (I later found out Alyssa had stole my pen. Call it payback).
I was writing a scene with Hunter flirting with future Lyra when someone opened the door up to the roof. When the person walked out, I was able to get a better look. A guy, looked about my age, with sandy blonde hair in jeans and a graphic tee with a burnt red sweatshirt thrown over it. He zipped up his sweatshirt as he walked towards me, probably feeling a chill from the wind.
I flipped the page from Reverse to a sketch of a city skyline that I started drawing in the car, just in case the guy decided to take a peek. I was very hush-hush about my secret writer business. No one knew who I was when I read my stories on YouTube until they trended, hiding behind a mask and the username TimeWarp. I haven’t even told Alyssa (a YouTuber fanatic, she happens to love TimeWarp and Forward, which always makes me chuckle), or even the guys.
It was while I was re-outlining some skyscraper spire that the guy decided to talk.
“Nice drawing,” he said.
“Oh, um, it’s nothing impressive,” I said. “It’s just a sketch.” I hadn’t noticed him look over at me outlining.
“Well, for a sketch, it’s good,” he said. He was staring at the sky above us, and I noticed his sparkling green eyes reflecting the evening sun. “Just wondering, why are you up here? Usually the roofs of hotels are empty.”
“I could ask the same for you,” I said with a laugh. I then stood up and said, “Well, I’m up here to think clearly, and to escape the mass of fangirls, including my insane sister.”
“Looks like we had similar goals,” he said. “Gets a little much sometimes, you know?”
“I know exactly.”
It was as I said that sentence that I realized that he looked awfully familiar, a whole lot like one of the faces on Alyssa’s posters. He looked like Brendan Hawke, one of the members of 4Days. And then I realized that he didn’t just look like Brendan Hawke, he was Brendan Hawke. Oh man, Alyssa would kill me if she found out this happened!
“I don’t know if this is too sudden or whatever, but what’s your name?” Brendan asked.
“Gabrielle,” I said. That was my full name. My home nickname just didn't seem appropriate.
“Nice name,” he said. “I’m Brendan.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but he interrupted me. Or can you call it interrupting if you haven’t said anything?
“I think I know what you’re thinking right now,” Brendan said. “‘Wait, is this guy the same one in 4Days?’”
I smiled. “Right on the money.”
“You a fan?” he asked.
“So self-centered. Are all boy band members like this?” I said, laughing.
“So I’d take that as a no?” Brendan said. “And I’m actually the least self-centered one out of us. It’s a pain to share, well, anything with those guys.”
“Wow,” I said. “I had no idea boy band relationships were so tense. And correct, I am not a fan, but my little sister gushes over you guys. I don’t get it.”
“How old are you, 17? Tell me you haven’t had some little crush or something when you were 10 years old.”
“Nope, never had one.” I replied.
“You aside, that’s what this is for most of those screaming, squealing 10 and 11 year old girls. Despite the fact that all of us are 6 or 7 years older than them, we’re their little crush.” Brendan said.
I had to laugh at that a little. “Are you seriously giving me a lesson on boy band fans?”
“Yes, yes I am,” he said with a smile.
I could see why some 10 or 11 year old girls would have a “little crush” on him. Brendan was fairly cute, in like a boyish way. Sandy blonde hair, styled with the sides cut short and the top a little longer, bright green eyes, killer smile. Not my type, but I don’t really have a type. I’ve never had a boyfriend, probably because most of my friends are guys, and that likely causes other guys to stay away. Despite being friends with them since sixth grade, I still don’t understand how guys work, and I probably never will.
“So I noticed you drawing a bit earlier. You do that often?” he asked.
“Draw, or come up to hotel rooftops?” I said. “Because the latter was purely today.”
“Draw. That city skyline you were working on was really good,” Brendan said.
“Well thank you, but I’m not the best drawer. I’d much rather make pictures with words than with images.”
“‘I’d rather make pictures with words than with images,’” he repeated. “I like that, I like that a lot. Sounds like a song lyric. I may use that.”
“Go ahead,” I said. “Now it’s my turn with the random questions. Do you happen to know the YouTuber TimeWarp?” Yeah, I asked it. I had a small plan in mind, so this wasn’t just tooting my own horn.
“Yeah, I love her,” Brendan said. “Her writing is so awesome, it could be published. I really loved Forward, and can’t wait for more Reverse.”
“Yeah, I do too. The time travel stuff is really trippy, but I think this is the best time travel I’ve seen since Interstellar ruined it for me. That movie was two hours of my life I’m never getting back.”
“Oh man, that movie was so confusing!” Brendan said. “So cinematic, with great special effects and music, but so confusing!”
“I know!” I said. “Looks like we seem to have a similar taste in YouTube and movies.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Now the test is, favorite music genre? 3, 2, 1, go!”
At the same time, we said, “Alternative and rock.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and it’s contagious, so Brendan laughed too.
“Wow, our pop culture seems to be in sync,” Brendan said.
Just as he said that, a phone rang. It wasn’t mine, because I keep mine on permanent vibrate, so it was his. Brendan dug his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and picked up the call.
“Uh huh. Yeah,” I heard from his end of the conversation. “I’ll be right there.”
He hung up the call then turned back to me. “Well, I gotta go. Busy life of a boy bander.”
“Bye. It was fairly nice meeting you.”
“‘Fairly nice?’ That’s all I get?” Brendan said with a laugh. “Anyway, I don’t know if this is too sudden again or whatever, but can I have your phone number, or at least your Instagram or something? I’d like to be able to keep in touch.”
“That is quite forward, but sure, I’ll give you my Instagram,” I said. “I’m @GabeDoubleR. And don’t worry about me finding yours, it’s easy.”
“Alright then,” he said. “So this is where we part ways. Nice meeting you, Gabrielle.”
“Nice meeting you too, Brendan,” I said. “And that’s better than ‘fairly!’”
I heard him laugh to himself as he walked off.